Emphasis Mine
by CommanderDJ
Summary: The newly-crowned Emperor's Wrath decides to fix a mistake he made during his rise to power. The resulting mission gives Vette a chance to reflect on her journey with him and those around her. (NB: Contains spoilers for the Sith Warrior storyline.)
1. Chapter 1

Vette pursed her lips in thought as she thumbed through her spare pazaak cards on board the _Fury_. Her prized side deck was laid out carefully on the small table in the main hold. She was extremely proud of it; she'd managed to win a coveted tiebreaker card from a smuggler on Nar Shaddaa the last time they'd stopped there. Thinking carefully, she extracted a card and placed it alongside the deck on the table, considering whether to swap it in.

"I don't understand the point of pazaak. There's no skill involved, it's just chance." Malavai Quinn had entered the hold from the cockpit, and was now standing behind her. Vette turned her head to look at him; even when "his General" wasn't present, Quinn's stance was rigid and composed.

"Why don't we play a game, then? You'll get it once you try." The Captain peered at the table, his eyes narrowing, and she could see that he was going to refuse. "Come oooon," she insisted, "you can't be monitoring the ship _all_ the time. Tell you what, we'll play Senate rules. No creds. And I won't even use my good deck!"

Quinn looked affronted, and seemed to stand even straighter in his pristine Imperial uniform. "Excuse me? I do more than just monitor the ship, I'll have you know. I fluently assist in-"

Vette quickly held up her hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright! Do you wanna play or not?"

Quinn looked revolted by the very idea, but Vette was spared his uncomfortable silence by footsteps coming up the ship's ramp. She turned to see Jaesa Willsaam entering the main hold, clad in a blend of thick cloak and weathered armour, her double bladed lightsaber hanging at her side. Vette instinctively shrunk back the tiniest bit; the look on Jaesa's face was one of satisfaction, which more than likely meant she had just killed someone. Vette was sure her attire would be bloodstained if lightsabers didn't cauterise all wounds they caused.

"I'll happily play a game if the Captain here doesn't want to." Jaesa's voice was like tainted honey. Vette hesitated.

"You know I can sense your fear every time you look at me, right?" Jaesa approached the table. Quinn excused himself, taking advantage of Vette's distraction.

"Uh, well, you are kind of… you know… scary." Vette trailed off. Jaesa gave a curt laugh as she sat down, lightsaber clinking against her seat, then looked at her with what was probably intended to be compassion. It came out more like pity.

"You have nothing to worry about from me, as long as the Emperor's Wrath approves of you."

Vette struggled not to roll her eyes. _Oh, great. Definitely comforting._ But Jaesa was looking purposefully at the pazaak cards on the table, so Vette picked them up. _I guess we're playing._

"Where is your darling husband, anyway?" she asked, shuffling the main deck deftly.

"He'll be along shortly. He was just- ah, here he comes," Jaesa responded, inclining her head in the direction of the ship's entrance. Vette didn't hear anything, yet Jaesa's expression went from passive to worried as the ship's doors signalled their opening with a swish. A second later, Argrein entered from the antechamber.

Normally Vette actually preferred Argrein's company to Jaesa's; the tall, bulky Zabrak seemed to appreciate her jokes, at least. This time, however, she wasn't sure. Vette wasn't Force-sensitive in the slightest, and yet she could almost feel the raw emotion that radiated from the Emperor's Wrath as he entered the hold. She cringed as R8, who had been standing in the corner silently the whole time, rattled off his customary greeting.

"Hail to the Emperor! And more importantly-" he stopped as Argrein shot him a look of unfiltered contempt, then looked at Jaesa without rage, but with no less intensity.

"Master? What's wrong?" she asked, leaping to her feet. Vette raised an eyebrow without thinking about it, staying where she was. _If they're married, why don't they just call each other by name?_

"Come with me," Argrein responded, then turned towards his quarters with a swish of his cloak. Jaesa followed, and the door shut swiftly behind them.

Since Jaesa was evidently not interested in a game, Vette started packing away her pazaak cards, stacking them neatly in a little case she'd bought years ago for just that purpose. As she did so, she saw Lieutenant Pierce lean his head out from the crew quarters. They made eye contact, and he jerked his head towards Argrein's quarters, an eyebrow raised. _What's going on? _Vette shrugged, then nodded towards the chair next to her. _I don't know. C'mere._

Despite their differences, Vette found she probably liked Pierce the best out of the ship's crew. At least he wasn't all about the rules like Quinn. Pierce eased himself into the chair next to her, keeping his voice low.

"What d'you reckon they're up to?"

Vette shook her head a little, her lekku swinging slightly. She understood what Pierce was suggesting; whilst Argrein and Jaesa weren't overt about it, at times they didn't quite hide their lovemaking sessions as well as they could, and the interior walls of the ship weren't _that_ thick.

"Nothing like that," she responded, cautiously eyeing the door while she packed away her pazaak cards. Pierce let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars. What's wrong, d'you know?"

Vette shrugged once more, closing her pazaak case once all the cards were inside.

"Dunno. Haven't seen him this worked up in a long while, though. Must be serious."

Pierce assumed a thoughtful expression, then looked at her with a grin she couldn't help but be sceptical about.

"Wanna listen in?"

Vette crossed her arms, grinning back.

"You're not exactly the stealthiest of people," she teased, and he elbowed her in the ribs, perhaps a little harder than he intended.

"Ow! Hey! My armour's not as thick as yours!"

"Keep it down," he cautioned, though she could tell he was struggling not to laugh, "are we doing this or not? They won't be in there for long."

She thought for a moment.

"If we get caught, Jaesa might actually kill us," she said, only partially joking, but Pierce's expression conveyed his lack of concern, so she sighed and eased herself out of her chair with reluctance. "Alright, _fine_. But if I die, I'm going to haunt you."

He shook his head, grinning again, and got up. They tiptoed towards Argrein's quarters, Vette in the lead, and leant their heads against the wall beside the door.

"… I had him at my mercy, and yet I didn't strike. He lives and walks the galaxy because of me!" Argrein's voice contained something Vette took a moment to identify, purely because she had never heard it from him before: regret.

"Master, I understand, but in all truth, he _did _help us," Jaesa, by contrast, spoke like every word was calculated, "and even the Empire rewards those who serve, does it not?"

"_Not _the Jedi!" The voice, filled with rage, seemed to move to different places in the room. Vette realised Argrein was likely pacing. "I have made a mistake, Jaesa, and not a small one. If the Dark Council finds out that the Emperor's Wrath let a Jedi Master live, there will no doubt be consequences."

"In that case, let me take on the mission, Master. Let me bring you his head. I'm sure the Jedi will appreciate the irony."

"No, Jaesa."

"But, Master-"

"Let me_ finish_," Argrein's voice held such warning that Vette drew in a breath sharply, only releasing it when Jaesa acquiesced.

"You will of course be there when Timmns falls," he continued, "I would have no one else by my side. But I must be the one to strike him down. I tell you this as your Master and instructor: when you make mistakes, _you_ must own them, and _you_ must repair them."

Vette felt a tap on her shoulder, and acknowledged Pierce's signal that the conversation was coming to an end. They regressed back to the seats, and Vette was just opening up her pazaak case again when the door slid open and they sidled out. Jaesa marched straight past them to the cockpit; Vette heard her telling Quinn to make way. Argrein, however, approached the holoprojector in the centre of the room and gave her a look. _Really, Vette?_ She immediately pointed at Pierce, feigning innocence with her eyes._ It was his idea!_ To her relief, Argrein actually gave a tiny smile.

"Where are we headed?" she asked.

"The fleet," he responded, "we need information before taking on our next mission."

"And what is our next mission? I hope it involves bloodshed," chimed in Pierce. Whilst a bystander might have thought Pierce was sucking up to the Emperor's Wrath, Vette knew that he really meant what he said. _Why did I end up with all the crazies? _

The ship thrummed to life, and Vette felt its gentle tug as it lifted off into the atmosphere. Argrein regarded Pierce briefly and smiled, more visibly this time.

"We must hunt down a Jedi Master, Lieutenant. Bloodshed will not be optional."

* * *

Everyone was gathered around the holoprojector in the main hold, which depicted a green-skinned Mirilian male dressed in Jedi robes. Argrein and Jaesa stood side by side next to the holoprojector.

"This is Jedi Master Timmns," Argrein said, gesturing, "we are en route now to the Imperial fleet to seek out information that we can use to either track him down or lure him to us."

"Has the Emperor decreed that he must die?" asked Quinn.

"No, Captain," Argrein fixed him with a steely gaze, "I have." Folding his hands behind his back, Argrein looked around at each of them as he spoke. "In case any of you have forgotten, Jaesa and I encountered Master Timmns on Belsavis. We were forced to temporarily ally with him in order to prevent Darth Ekkage from being freed. Afterwards, I chose to let him live. Timmns contacted me not long after," a note of derision entered his words, "and said that the Jedi Council was in awe at the precedent we had established of Jedi and Sith working together. We must put an end to their delusions."

"What's our plan?" asked Pierce, fully focused on the Sith Lord.

"This is not an official mission," Argrein replied, "so we have a little more freedom to proceed as we see fit. I am entrusting parts of the mission to each of you." _What? _Vette looked at him, then at Pierce. His look of surprise matched hers.

At this point, R8 came in from the cockpit. "Master, we are due to come out of hyperspace in two minutes." Argrein gave him a curt nod.

"Jaesa, you and Captain Quinn will travel to Dromund Kaas by shuttle, where you will seek out Apprentice Kode; he has information we need. I also believe you have a pre-existing quarrel to settle with him." Jaesa patted her lightsaber, a wide smile on her face. Quinn nodded in acknowledgement.

"Vette, you'll come with me. We have business aboard the fleet," Argrein added. Jaesa turned sharply to face Vette, her eyes glittering. Argrein turned to Pierce, and Vette stuck her tongue out at Jaesa while he wasn't looking.

"Lieutenant, you and Broonmark may do as you see fit whilst we are docked at the fleet. Your part will come later. Questions?"

There was a resounding silence as everyone mulled over the briefing. Argrein nodded his assent and then regressed to his quarters, Jaesa at his side. Vette darted towards Pierce, following him as he headed into the crew quarters.

"Since when do we get sent out on separate missions?" she asked. Pierce shrugged his massive shoulders, then ventured to his bunk and opened up the chest next to it. Vette in turn went to hers.

"Are you complaining?" he responded.

"'Course not! Sure beats being cooped up on the ship while the happy couple take over the universe."

Vette checked her armour, pulled out her ammo belt and donned it quickly, then made sure her blasters were fully loaded. She felt the slight lurch that marked the _Fury_'s exit from hyperspace.

"Maybe the boss has finally recognised our loyalty," ventured Pierce, hefting his massive blaster rifle.

"Yeah. Loyalty." Vette had meant to keep those words to herself, but Pierce gave her a look.

"You're not loyal to the Darth?"

"I didn't exactly sign up by choice," she said, slipping her blasters into their holsters, "but things've been pretty okay. I'm… not really sure where I stand with him."

"Well, you're about to go for a stroll. Why don't you take the opportunity to find out?"

* * *

Argrein strode purposefully down the halls of Vaiken Spacedock; Vette almost had to run to keep up. The station's high ceiling and vast windows that opened up to the expanse of space made it seem bigger than it was, and the crowds didn't help either. The hubbub ebbed and flowed as they wound their way through the lines of Sith prospects and Imperial troops.

"Sooo, just like old times, huh?" Vette mused. "Where're we headed anyway?"

"We seek Lord Fedra," he stated, slowing his pace a little to easier facilitate conversation, "his apprentice, by the name of Dolor Kode, encountered Timmns on his last mission. He may be able to tell us of his plans."

"Jaesa was going to see him, yeah?"

"Yes, but Jaesa has a habit of using her lightsaber before using her words," Argrein responded as they rounded a corner. Vette struggled not to giggle. "And Fedra may hold information that Kode does not."

The hallway they had turned into was smaller and lined with doors; Vette recognised them as doors to temporary residences that were available for rent to travellers on long stopovers. She was about to ask him why Jaesa was going to kill Kode in the first place when he stopped at one and Vette noticed him idly flick his hand; the door slid open.

The room was cramped but, as far as she could see, well furnished. She didn't have time to admire the surroundings, however, as a black-clad, green-skinned Twi'lek that she assumed was Fedra entered from the only other door. Vette noticed Argrein stand up a little straighter.

"I suggest you tell me who you are," Fedra said, his voice quite mild, "before I execute you for entering uninvited."

"I am the Emperor's Wrath," Argrein's voice was wreathed in steel, as it always was in public, "and _I_ suggest you show respect."

"Oh! My-my lord, I-I didn't know you'd be arriving so soon!" he responded, giving a bow that made a very good impression of sincerity, "How can I be of service to the Emperor?"

"You can train your next apprentice better than your last one." Argrein took a step forward. His face was expressionless, but his eyes became beacons of fury. _How do they have the energy to keep their anger up all the time? _Vette thought.

"W-whatever do you mean, my lord? Apprentice Kode is a very promising Sith," Fedra responded. Vette saw him clasp his hands behind his back at waist level. _He's readying his lightsaber_. They happened to make eye contact, and though she didn't know why, she gave a tiny shake of her head. _Bad idea._ Fedra gave a slight start, then turned his attention back to Argrein as he spoke. His hands dropped to his sides.

"Kode is a weakling that my apprentice is on her way to eliminate. She has seen the stench of the light side that pervades him. He is a liability and cannot be allowed to live."

Fedra's eyes momentarily widened in shock before he looked down at the floor.

"I… I see," he took a deep breath, "thank you for… keeping me informed, my lord. Is there anything I can do to make up for this failure?"

"There is. I seek information on Jedi Master Timmns; your former apprentice met him. I wish to know what details he may have gleaned from Timmns." Fedra looked momentarily puzzled, and Vette could see he was straining his memory.

"My lord, I… I do not remember much. They met on Nar Shaddaa, and Timmns did not say much of value before my apprentice engaged him in combat."

"_Where_ on Nar Shaddaa?" Argrein pressed. Fedra paused, his eyes darting.

"Ah! I can give you the coordinates of my apprentice's intended target there!" he exclaimed. "Not much to go on, but it was close to their meeting place!"

Argrein did not respond, but merely nodded. Fedra pulled out his datapad and tapped a few buttons. Argrein confirmed it on his own, then looked up at the Twi'lek.

"That will be all, Lord Fedra. Be more careful in your choice of apprentice in the future." Argrein turned and headed towards the door. As Vette moved to follow, Fedra gave her a small nod. _Thank you for the warning._ She hesitated, still following Argrein, then returned a shrug as she passed the doorway. _It wouldn't have made any difference if he'd decided to kill you_.

* * *

"Why do you do that?" Vette asked as they walked.

"Do what?"

"Put on that… persona when you talk to people." Argrein simply looked at her in what she hoped was puzzlement. "You know, the big tough angry guy? Why do you put that on?"

"Do you doubt my power?" His eyes lit up and his voice hardened, yet Vette persisted.

"Come on, how many supposedly impossible things have I seen you do? I _know_ you can kill me in the blink of an eye, but what you did there with Fedra wasn't the real you."

He stopped walking, and by his gaze she thought she might have actually crossed a line. _Well, I guess this is how I die._

"Justify your words, Vette, and do it _well_." Fear flickered in her belly. _It's the same thing. He's putting it on. It's just scarier when it's directed at you._ The thoughts rang hollow in her mind.

"Uh, well, when we were on our way over here you… talked differently. But as soon as I asked you that question just then, it's like you hit a switch and suddenly I think you… might actually cut me in half." She didn't want to look him in the eye, but he stared her down until she did, and even then there was a long pause.

"You make a very serious accusation, Vette," he finally said, his tone slick with venom, "if anyone except you or Jaesa had said those words, I _would_ have cut them in half."

_So… crisis averted?_ He paused for a moment, then immediately set off, but not towards the ship.

"Where are we going?" she jogged to catch up.

"To the cantina. You have a lot of explaining to do."

There was only one cantina in the Spacedock, located the centre of its main floor. The tone of conversations gradually wavered from firm and businesslike to loud and jovial as they got closer, and music was audible above the din. _It's not very _good_ music, but still. At least they try._

They took seats and a waiter droid began to approach, but Argrein waved it off. Vette scowled and crossed her arms.

"Aww, come on. No drinks?" she protested.

"Afterwards, perhaps," he said, "now explain."

Vette couldn't read him now; his face was blank and his voice neutral. She took a deep breath, looking down at the table. "Well, like I said. You act different around us than you do out in public. Out here it's like you wanna destroy everything and you hate everyone, but… I mean… you have a wife. You have to care about her. And who knows how many times you've saved my neck when you didn't have to? It's like it's a mask or something. I just… don't get it." Vette looked up at Argrein. It was his turn to stare at the table.

"Vette, your ignorance amazes me."

"_Ow. _Is that your answer?"

"No," he paused, gathering his thoughts, "Look around you. This is the heart of the Sith Empire, where the weak are crushed and the strong survive up until they become weak. Becoming the Emperor's Wrath has earned me power, but it has also earned me enemies, though I may not know them yet. Those enemies are waiting for me to show weakness, and you can be sure that they will exploit it when they find it." He paused, and called back the waiter droid, then nodded to Vette. She placed her order, thinking.

"I must show my strength constantly, otherwise they will begin to pry," he continued, "and it is not a façade. The Dark Side feeds off emotion, and it is emotion that gives me my power."

"Wait a sec, so you have to be angry or whatever _all the time_ when you're fighting?"

"Not necessarily angry, no, but it is easier to manifest anger at will than it is other emotions."

Vette widened her eyes a little. "How do you stand it?" she breathed, "when I fight I have to clear my mind, I have to… think about cover, angles of attack, what weapons the other side's got. Emotion just… gets in the way." She sighed. "I remember back when I was with the old gang, a heist went wrong and we had to fight our way out. At one point, Taunt was shot. Nothing serious after the fact, but… I saw her fall and… everything kinda went fuzzy. I ran out of cover towards her and got myself hit as well." She shook her head. "We barely got out of that one."

They were silent for a few moments. Argrein looked around at the cantina while Vette took the drink that the waiter droid returned with and cradled it in her hands. She felt strange; the pressure to speak had disappeared. When it returned, it was merely because she wanted to break the silence.

"So why are Jaesa and I different?"

Argrein, who had been peering with narrowed eyes across the cantina, turned back to face her.

"What?"

"That's what you said, earlier. If anyone except Jaesa or me had said the… stuff, you would've killed them. So why are we the exception?"

Argrein crossed his arms as he sat. "Because you are the only two that would not be interested in exploiting the fact that I often let my guard down around you."

Vette raised an eyebrow. "Wow, really? You don't… trust the others?" She sipped her drink as she waited. The revelation itself was shocking enough, but this amount of honesty from Argrein was unprecedented.

"You are correct. The droid is of no concern, of course, he's programmed to serve me. But Broonmark and Pierce are individuals that respect only strength. Pierce does not take kindly to authority, so it is only my power that keeps him here; he seeks to learn from my ability to destroy. If he suspects that I am weak he may fixate on the fact that I command him instead. In the worst case he could even be convinced to betray me."

"Wow, when did you become a psychologist?" She remarked.

"Would you like me to stop?" He smiled; he was pleased that he had impressed her.

"No, keep going! I wanna hear the rest."

Argrein chuckled, then signalled the waiter droid again and made an order. He then leaned forward on the table, his smile gone.

"I am less certain about Broonmark's motivations," he continued, "he hasn't been with us long and communication with him isn't my favourite thing in the galaxy. We do know that he despises betrayal, and so a clever enough opponent needs only to plant the idea in his mind that I will betray him and he may well strike pre-emptively."

"What about Quinn?" Vette was listening with rapt attention. _Is this what Sith think about in their spare time?_ The waiter droid returned once more with Argrein's drink.

"Quinn has already betrayed me once. He will not remain alive if he attempts it again." Argrein took a deep breath, and the fire in his words was genuine. "Nevertheless, his betrayal of me even after seeing all that I am capable of shows that he will jump ship as soon as he finds someone more conducive to progressing his career."

He looked down at the table after this. Vette took another gulp from her drink, mulling it over. "Okay, so what makes you think me or Jaesa won't turn against you?"

He stared at her.  
"Right, okay, we can count Jaesa out. What about me?" she asked, "I didn't really join up on purpose."

"You tell me, Vette."

"Uh…" _Crap. What do I say? I never know the right answer to these questions._ "Uh, well… look," she sighed. _Maybe I'll finally be able to air some things out._ "At the start, things weren't great, and I wanted to leave. But then, eventually you took my shock collar off, we were seeing places… it got better, you know?" She paused, hesitant. _This is my chance. I've got to tell him. _"Until-"

Argrein held up a hand to stop her; his holo was beeping. He pulled it out and Vette saw Jaesa appear in its miniature projection.

"Master, we have a problem."


	2. Chapter 2

"What kind of problem?" Argrein responded. Jaesa's image flickered.

"Kode knew I was coming, and he was ready for me." She bowed her head, locks of jet-black hair sweeping down like curtains, flanking her face. "He got away."

"Do you know where he's headed?"

"No," she said. Quinn entered the projection beside her.

"My lord, if you or the others can get to the ship, you may be able to intercept him before he jumps to hyperspace. We can transmit his ship's details to you."

Argrein stood. _I guess we're going._ Vette followed him as he started towards the ship quickly. "Transmit them to R8, and have him be ready to take off by the time we arrive. Inform Broonmark and Pierce that they are to return to the ship immediately."

Quinn nodded. "As you command, my lord." He left the hologram.

"What should we do, Master?" Jaesa asked.

"Remain on Dromund Kaas. We will come and collect you once we're done."

Jaesa would not be taking part in the chase, and she knew it. Her nod of acknowledgment was solemn.

"Yes, Master."

The image faded, and Argrein broke into a jog as he stowed his holo. Vette ran alongside him. People made way for them as they moved through the crowds.

"How'd Kode know that Jaesa was coming?" she asked.

"Fedra contacted him after we left, no doubt," Argrein said.

"Shouldn't we go talk to him, then? He could tell us where Kode went."

"He will have left the spacedock by now. Kode is our best lead, so we must follow him."

He increased his speed; Vette picked up his urgency and made it her own.

* * *

Kode had gotten away. By the time they had left the spacedock, Kode already had a headstart and jumped to hyperspace shortly after Argrein had began pursuit. With their immediate need for departure gone, Argrein had decided to land on Dromund Kaas and pick Jaesa and Quinn up before continuing on. As they touched down and the ramp lowered, the constant growls of the perpetually thunderous sky reached Vette's ears.

"Hey, you okay? You look a little off," Pierce asked as they descended the ramp and headed onto the spaceport. She had momentarily forgotten about her conversation with Argrein in the cantina as they had left, but once the chase had ended, it had returned to the forefront of her mind and remained there.

"Yeah, fine, just..." she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Argrein was out of earshot, "... almost got a chance to actually say what I think about the queen of the universe and she interrupted us by holo."

"Damn," Pierce remarked, "maybe it was for the best, though. Even on a good day, that's gotta be dangerous territory."

"Yeah, I know, it's just... I wish the rest of us hadn't vanished from existence the moment she came along, you know? I'm surprised I still know how to use a blaster, what with all the missions I'm not doing."

"I know, I know," he said. Vette heard the hint of fatigue in his voice; this wasn't their first conversation on the topic. "On the bright side, he seems to be doing things differently with this mission. Maybe it's a precedent."

"Here's hoping," she said quietly.

They walked through the spaceport and into Kaas City in a loose group. Every building was lit and streetlights were everywhere; the eternally dark sky provided little in the way of light. Vette watched as people, mostly military, hurried by either in groups or alone. She saw no Twi'leks among them, and felt an unexpected burst of loneliness rise in her gut. _Cut it out_. _Now's not the time._

"Where are we meeting them?" Pierce asked her.

"Cantina."

"Which one?"

"Don't remember. Ask Argrein."

"Hmph. Looks like I won't have to." Pierce turned as Argrein, still walking behind them, waved them towards a side street. Vette about-faced and started heading in that direction. The street was small, and the sudden whooshes and low hums of spacecraft flying overhead were stifled by the smaller space. Argrein approached a small building and entered. A rusty sign hung above the door.

"The Drowned Mynock." Pierce remarked, smirking, "Didn't think Kaas City was the place for seedy stuff."

"Every planet has its underworld. Some are just harder to find than others. Maybe I'll find a pazaak game." Vette said, injecting hope into her voice.

"How did he even find this place? I didn't think a Sith Lord would be into this sort of scene."

They entered, and Vette abruptly burst into laughter.

"Look at Quinn!" she gasped out in response to Pierce's quizzical look. Quinn and Jaesa were sitting at a table towards the back of the cantina. Whilst Jaesa managed to look somewhat relaxed, Quinn's upright stance and stone-wrought frown made him look completely out of place. Pierce raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh huh," he said. "Drink?"

Vette nodded while catching her breath. "Sure, yeah. And- yes! Pazaak tables!" She pointed towards the other corner of the cantina, where five small pazaak tables were placed, two of them occupied. She and Pierce approached the bar and took seats, while Argrein and Broonmark ventured over to Quinn and Jaesa's table. Vette couldn't hear their conversation amidst the murmurs coming from all around the cantina. The Kel Dor bartender came over and took their orders. As soon as Vette had her drink, she hopped off her seat.

"Wanna watch?" she asked Pierce.

"Might as well. There's nothing else to do," he responded.

"You could always listen to the debriefing."

He rolled his eyes and smiled. Vette sat down at one of the tables, and didn't have to wait long before a Chiss man in officer's garb came over and took the seat opposite hers.

"Would you like a game?" he asked in strongly-accented Basic.

"It's why I'm here."

"Then let us play," he said, his chin lifting in challenge. "A hundred credits each?"

Vette glanced over her shoulder at the others. Quinn was standing and Jaesa was finishing off her drink.

"Tell you what, I've only got time for one game, so let's make it good. Five hundred?"

"Done," he said, placing credit chips on the table. Vette counted out five hundred credits and put them on the table. The Chiss laid out the main deck and his side deck, and Vette pulled out her side deck from the pouch that hung at her belt, shuffling the cards as she did so. They each drew from the main deck, and his card was higher.

"I go first," he remarked with a wry smile. They each drew four cards from their side decks. Vette looked at hers: +4, +1, -1, -2. _Not a great draw, _Vette thought, but took care to show nothing on her face.

"You have to get to twenty, right?" asked Pierce. She nodded.

"Or as close as possible."

The Chiss drew from the main deck. +7. He gave her a nod. "Your go."

She drew. +10.

He drew. +7 again, and he added a +5 from his side. "I stand," he declared. _Damn, he's on 19. I'm gonna need a 20 to win._

She drew. +4. That brought her up to 14. _I can add 4 from my side, but that's only 18. Gonna have to draw again._

She drew once more. +8. She'd gone over 20, and the Chiss smiled, expecting her to declare that she'd gone bust. His smile vanished when she used her -2 card to bring her score to 20.

"I win," she said and grinned, shuffling her side deck.

"Early days, early days. You still have to win two more to take the match," the Chiss said, leaning back calmly and shuffling the main deck.

"Nice one," said Pierce quietly, then leaned down towards her, "five hundred creds on one game, though?" he whispered.

"Don't worry, I've got this. Besides, I haven't had to pay for my own meals in a while. I've saved up."

They drew side decks. +/-1, -2, +/-3, -1._ Both my plus/minus cards in the same hand! Sweet!_ Since she had won the previous set, she got to go first.

They exchanged the first few turns quickly, both of them drawing mostly low cards from the main deck. Vette was up to 16 and the Chiss was at 15 when he drew a +9 and went bust. After peering over his side deck, he shook his head lightly.

"Vette, they're getting ready to leave," Pierce said.

"Just one more! I can't quit in the middle of a game. Especially when I'm winning."

They drew sides. Vette looked at her side deck; she had drawn her tiebreaker card, which was a +/-1 card that would also win her the set in the event of a tie, as well as a -3, -4, and -2. She couldn't help but smile lightly; the possibility of her going bust in this set was low.

She drew +6. He drew +10. She drew +9. He drew +6, and supplemented with a +4. He was on 20. _Damn. I'll need to tie him, then use my tiebreaker._

She drew. +4. That brought her to 19. _Damn. I could play the tiebreaker card, which would bring me up to 20, but then we'd just tie. I need to play the card _after_ we tie to break it. Of course, I could always tie and hope I win the next set._

"Vette, we have to go," Pierce said. She looked behind her; the rest of them were heading towards the door.

"One sec."

_No time to play another set. I just have to draw, and hope my minuses can bring it down to 20 if it's high._

She drew. +4. _Whew_. She played her -3. They were both at 20.

"Looks like we tie," he said, and she grinned.

"Nope," she said, plunking down the tiebreaker, "set and match." The Chiss' mouth dropped open slightly.

"I've never even seen a tiebreaker card before. You must be very skilled to have won it," he said. Vette packed up her cards quickly, and scooped the wager off the table into her credit pouch. The Chiss hardly seemed to notice.

"Yeah, well... I've had a lot of spare time recently," she said.

"If you are ever on Dromund Kaas and wish to play, look up Captain Gra'shretl," he offered his hand with a smile, "I would be happy to win back what I have lost today."

Vette shook his hand. "And I'd be happy to take more from you!" She said, grinning.

"Vette!" Pierce's voice rang across the bar; he was at the door.

"Sorry, sorry!" She turned to Gra'shretl. "I have to go!" Without waiting for a response, she rushed to Pierce and they left hastily.

Argrein was apparently not in a patient mood, for the ship was already humming with life as they boarded. The entrance ramp shut behind them and the ship began to take off as they stepped into the main hold, where Argrein and Jaesa stood.

"What took you so long?" Argrein asked, but the lightness in his tone signalled that he didn't really mind. Vette grinned.

"I just won five hundred credits."

"In a pazaak game?"

"Yep. Got lucky with my draws, won in straight sets."

"Well, let's hope your luck continues," he said, "you're going to Nar Shaddaa."

* * *

"Nar Shaddaa? So we're going after Timmns, then?"

Argrein nodded. "We're splitting up. We'll drop you and Jaesa off at the coordinates we obtained from Fedra. Captain Quinn and I will go after Fedra himself. I have contacts who will be able to get us a lead on him. His betrayal must be dealt with." He turned his head towards the cockpit and raised his voice. "And we don't tolerate betrayal, do we, Quinn?"

"Absolutely not, my lord!"

Argrein sighed and shook his head. Vette almost did the same. _Quality time alone with Jaesa. Great._

"What about the rest of us, my lord?" asked Pierce.

"You will come with me initially. We will decide how to proceed once we have more information on our targets' whereabouts."

"Hey, uh, what exactly do we expect to find on Nar Shaddaa?" Vette said. Argrein tapped at the holoprojector, and an image of a vault appeared.

"This was Kode's target on Nar Shaddaa. Assuming his meeting with Timmns was not accidental, it is likely that Timmns also had an interest in whatever was inside the vault."

"That's a Bastion Industries vault. 1600B, deluxe model," Vette said, "pretty expensive stuff. Do we know who it belonged to?"

Argrein shook his head. "Your job is to find out why Timmns was interested in the contents of this vault, and if there's anything we can use to find him."

Vette looked at him, puzzled. "You said it was Kode's target, not Timmns'."

"Yes, but Jedi tend to avoid places like Nar Shaddaa if they can help it. I suspect Timmns' mission was to prevent Kode from acquiring whatever's inside the vault. Their meeting was not accidental."

"So whatever's inside is still in there?"

Argrein shrugged. "We don't know. Clearly Timmns has an interest in it, so if it's in there and you do enough prying he will come to stop you as he did Kode. If not, then Timmns is likely still after it, and following Kode should lead us to him. We find Timmns either way."

Vette blanched. "You want the two of us to take on a Jedi Master by ourselves?" Jaesa's eyes narrowed in disapproval.

"Ignore her, Master. I will defeat him and bring you his head."

"You are strong, Jaesa, but you will need Vette's help if Timmns does come looking for you. I am nevertheless confident that he will stand no chance against the two of you."

He pressed a few buttons, and the holoprojector changed to display Timmns, Fedra, and a masked figure that Vette assumed was Kode.

"No matter what happens, these three men will die today. Be ready."


	3. Chapter 3

Argrein watched from the cockpit of the _Fury _as Vette and Jaesa shrunk to the size of pinpricks. The ship lifted off from Nar Shaddaa, with the planet in turn fading from sight, replaced by a vast starscape as the ship turned its back.

"Where to now, my lord?" asked Quinn from the co-pilot's seat. Argrein closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the Force surge around him. Desire for Timmns' destruction burned strongly within him, and he revelled in its heat. If he found the Sith, he would find Timmns, and vice versa. They were linked, of that he was certain… but there was something uncertain about the Force's current. It was trying to tell him something. Argrein's eyes snapped open.

"Take us back to Imperial space, Captain."

Quinn was silent for a few moments as he tapped away at the console in front of him.

"Engaging hyperdrive now."

"Notify me once we arrive. I am not to be disturbed until then."

"As you wish, my lord."

The stars outside lengthened, and were replaced by the shifting, glowing tunnel of hyperspace. Argrein left the cockpit and entered his quarters, the door shutting behind him with a soft hiss. Sitting down on the cold, metal floor of the ship, he closed his eyes and began to meditate, tapping into the power that came as easily to him as breathing. He gathered it around him like a blanket, and as it settled, slowly flowing around him, throbbing with power, he began to think. Time lost meaning as he sat there, immersing himself in the Force. The plan was to find leads on Fedra and get to Timmns through him… but like a gentle hand on his shoulder, the dark side told him to be patient, to wait. He took deep breaths and honed in on this feeling, trying to pinpoint it, but it lurked just out of reach. Gathering his hate for the Jedi that talked of alliance, he tapped still deeper into the Force. _Why wait? What is Timmns up to?_ He strained for it, but the Force told him no more. _Blast!_ Frustration muddied his anger, and the vortex of power around him began to swirl faster, shifting, ebbing-

"My lord?" Quinn's voice cut through his thoughts like a turbolaser, "We have come out of hyperspace, and we have an incoming transmission. It's a Republic frequency."

_There is my answer. _Argrein took a breath, and slowly dispelled the power gathered around him with an exhalation, letting it fade back into the infinite reserves of the Force. He opened his eyes to see Quinn standing in the doorway to his quarters.

"It is Timmns," Argrein responded, "put him through to the main hold."

Quinn nodded and disappeared. Argrein stood, brushing down his armour with a few pats of his hands, and strode into the hold, facing the holoprojector. He gave Pierce and Broonmark a nod of acknowledgement as they emerged from their respective quarters. The holoprojector flickered on, and Argrein felt himself gather the Force reflexively as an image of the Mirilian Jedi Master appeared.

"You," Argrein said, vehemence rising in his throat.

"Yeah, me," responded Timmns, an uncertain frown on his face, "I admit that finding the transmission codes for your ship wasn't easy."

"Get to the point, scum. What do you want?" Argrein said. Timmns sighed.

"It's been pointed out to me that you'd like a reunion after our little adventure on Belsavis."

"What happened on Belsavis was done only out of necessity. I don't know why I left you alive that day, but I intend to finish the job."

Argrein saw Quinn enter the hold from the cockpit out of the corner of his eye. Timmns sighed again. "I suspected it was going to be something like that. I'm guessing that if I don't cooperate, you'll start killing people until you get through to me?"

"You know me too well, Timmns," Argrein said, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Bah," said the Jedi, waving his hand derisively, "you Sith are all the same; you kill any problem you can't solve. Can I at least ask what changed your mind? I thought we had a good thing going."

Argrein crossed his arms. "Stop stalling. We can have that conversation face-to-face, or not at all."

Timmns threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, my sincerest apologies for taking up your valuable time," he snarled. "Fine, you know what? Let's get this over with. Belsavis. Might as well bring it full circle, right?"

Argrein nodded. "Agreed."

The transmission winked out.

"You heard him, Captain," Argrein said, looking at Quinn, "set course for Belsavis. We must-"

He stopped as his personal holo beeped. He put the call through to the _Fury_'s projector and Jaesa and Vette appeared in front of him. Vette's gaze was off to the side. Jaesa had her projector in hand.

"What is it, Jaesa?"

"Master, we've reached the coordinates you gave us. Kode definitely got inside the vault, but it's unclear whether he succeeded in his theft. Whoever owns this place doesn't seem to be around, and the security droids didn't tell us anything," Jaesa smiled, "even after I dismembered one."

"They're _droids_, Jaesa," Vette chimed in, rolling her eyes, "they're programmed to be immune to threats."

Jaesa looked like she was going to reply, but Argrein held up his hand.

"See if you can get transport off-planet; we're closing in on Timmns, so I don't think there's any further value in you staying there."

He noticed Jaesa pause before replying.

"There is… something else, Master. I'm not sure what, but I sense we must remain here for now."

_It seems the Force speaks to us both today, apprentice._ Argrein nodded. "Do as you must, Jaesa. Contact me if anything changes."

She bowed her head momentarily. "As you command, Master."

Argrein terminated the transmission and headed back to his quarters, ignoring the enquiring gazes of Pierce and Broonmark. There would be time to fill them in later.

* * *

"What's the plan, my lord?" asked Pierce. They were all gathered around the main holoprojector on the_ Fury_, which was in orbit around Belsavis.

"We are to meet Master Timmns down on the surface. I suspect we have beaten him here, so we have the luxury of choosing the meeting's location."

"Master, we will land in five minutes," called R8 from the cockpit.

"If he has come alone," Argrein continued, ignoring the droid, "then I will engage him in single combat; you are not to interfere. If not, then you are free to participate in the battle as you see fit."

He paused, and Quinn spoke. "One thing still eludes me, my lord. How did Timmns find out that we were searching for him?"

"The only people who know about this mission are Fedra and Kode – I suspect that one of them has informed Timmns."

Quinn frowned. "But that... doesn't make any sense, my lord. Why would a Sith help a Jedi?"

"The same reason I helped him, Captain: because it benefits the Sith. Perhaps they're hoping that Timmns will kill me so that they may go free. Or perhaps there's a deeper alliance at work here. Until we find them, we won't know."

Quinn remained silent for a moment, but then looked up with eyes of steel as the ship touched down on Belsavis' surface. "Then let us find them, and bring an end to this."

"I couldn't agree more, Captain. Let's go."

* * *

"Can we go already?" Vette complained, "We've been sitting here for like an hour!"

"No. We need to be here; something's going to happen. I can feel it." Jaesa responded. They were sitting on a metal bench beside a non-descript Nar Shaddaa street. Vette had watched speeders go by and pedestrians shuffle past for many minutes, all the while fidgeting and shifting in her seat. Jaesa, by contrast, was perfectly still, and though Vette couldn't feel it, she'd be willing to bet anything that Jaesa had been channelling the Force for the majority of the time she'd been sitting down. _Might as well make some conversation._

"How does the whole sensing thing work, anyway?"

Jaesa turned to look at her, eyes glinting. "What do you mean?"

"Like… what happens when you sense something? Do you feel it? Does a voice talk in your head, what?" Vette asked, her voice rising with curiosity. Jaesa turned to look back at the street, and Vette thought she heard pleasure in her exhalation.

"The entire galaxy is… infused with the Force," Jaesa said, her voice low and smooth. "It sees everyone and everything. There's nothing you can do that the Force can't see, Vette, nothing. It's… all-powerful," she said, pausing as if slightly breathless. "It comes in different ways to everyone, and it's often unclear, but even now I can feel it surging inside me. It's trying to tell me something, but I can't make it out. Blurry images at the corner of my vision." Jaesa sighed slowly in frustration. Or was it gratification? "All I know is that it needs us here."

Vette shifted the tiniest bit away from her on the bench. "You're weird, Jaesa," she said flatly, after a moment's silence. "Were you like this when you were a Jedi?"

"Like what?" That piercing gaze; it was something she and her Master both possessed.

"You know… you definitely, uh… _enjoy_ what you do," Vette dragged the words out, watching as a pale green speeder drove way too quickly past the darkened street, then looked back at the Sith beside her. "Did you enjoy being a Jedi this much?"

"The Jedi didn't give me a chance to enjoy myself," Jaesa's lips pulled back in a snarl, her irises glowing like magma, "it was always about _duty_, _responsibility_," she said, rolling her eyes, "it was always about what I _should_ be doing, not what I wanted to do."

Vette sighed. "So that's a resounding no."

"Well, it wasn't that I disliked it… I just didn't actively enjoy it either. My power showed me that the Jedi are hypocrites. Lies, power grabs and corruption exist even among them."

"At least the Jedi have the decency to try and stamp them out." The voice that answered spoke with a calculated smoothness that Vette recognised even before she whipped around and saw the cloaked green Twi'lek standing behind them.

"Fedra," she said, and Jaesa leapt to her feet, lightsaber igniting in her hand. There was something about her sneer that made Vette immediately uneasy, even as she drew her blasters.

"You don't surprise me," Jaesa said, hatred rushing through her words, "I've faced your kind before. In fact, you could say it's my specialty."

"What are you talking about?" Vette asked, keeping her guns and her eyes trained on Fedra. She saw him cross his arms beneath his cloak.

"He's not a _real_ Sith," Jaesa said, her chin rising slightly, "he follows the light side! Now I know where his apprentice got it from. I can _smell_ it on him: mercy, compassion. You _disgust_ me!"

Fedra only put on a light smile. "Nothing you say can shake me, girl," he turned to look at Vette, "I put on an appearance of meekness and fealty to your master, but in truth… I am above him. I am-"

"_No one_ is above my master!" interrupted Jaesa, baring her teeth. Vehemence and challenge drove her words, and she leapt into the air towards Fedra, who remained completely still. _Why isn't he moving?_ Vette watched as, though Fedra didn't move at all, Jaesa stopped in mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall and tumbled to the ground, letting out a grunt of surprise as she landed. Fedra smiled.

"You will not move me, girl. You will run and jump and exert yourself, and I will defeat you without moving from this spot."

It was only then that Vette saw the thin slivers of metal that had been slowly sliding along the ground towards Jaesa. _Lightsabers!_

"Jaesa! Watch out, on the-"

Two crimson blades blazed to life, their hilts floating in mid-air, barring the path between Jaesa and Fedra. Jaesa got to her feet, her own weapon already alight. Vette had never seen Jaesa hesitate before, but she did so here. _If no one's holding the weapons, she can't predict where they'll come from. No limitations on attack angle or power._ Jaesa stepped towards Fedra and the floating sabers struck; she dodged one and blocked the other.

Vette realised she still hadn't moved, and that her blasters were still raised. _If he's focused on Jaesa, I can just shoot him!_ She turned her head back to face their enemy, took a second to aim, ignoring the flurry of light and sound to her right, and pulled the triggers. No sooner had she done so than there was a movement from Fedra's cloak and a third lightsaber ignited directly in front of him and manoeuvred to deflect the blaster bolts harmlessly into the ground. _Dammit! _She fired a rapid volley of shots and the saber spun impossibly fast to deflect them. _How can he concentrate on all that at once? _All the while, Jaesa was unsuccessfully attempting to get closer to Fedra: as she continued to inch forward, one of Fedra's lightsabers moved around behind her, and she only barely deflected it. Vette saw the exertion on her face as she twisted and turned, trying to bring both of the sabers into line of sight.

"I could kill you easily, girl," Fedra called to Vette. The lightsaber just in front of him rushed forward until it had closed half the distance between them. _Aw, crap. _Vette instinctively took a step back, but knew it would be pointless to fire. "How does it feel to be at someone's mercy?" Fedra asked in his smooth, unwavering tone. "I'm sure it's a feeling you're used to. Being a Sith's slave can hardly be pleasant."

"What?" Vette said, raising her voice at the unexpected insult. "I am _not_ a slave!" She fired twice, but the lightsaber caught the shots. She could hear its hum as it approached still closer. The red blade cast light onto the street.

"You say that, and yet your life belongs to an unforgiving master who sends you to do his whims. You cannot question him and you cannot do as you please. Thus, you are a slave." Fedra concluded, his tone bringing down an air of finality. Vette ignored the crackles and hisses of Jaesa's battle.

"I _can_ do as I please!" she insisted, frowning and tensing the muscles in her arms. "If I want to leave, I can! I'm his partner, not his slave!" _How dare this guy judge me? He doesn't even know who I am! _But she couldn't deny the ring of truth in his words.

"If anyone's the slave here, Fedra, it's you!" Jaesa suddenly retorted from much closer to Fedra than she was before. She thrust out her hands; Fedra was thrown backwards with a swish of cloak and the lightsabers with him, deactivating with a sharp sound. He tried to rise to his feet but was suddenly enveloped in blue, sizzling bolts of electricity – electricity that was coming out of Jaesa's hands. Vette's eyes widened at Fedra's scream of pain. He squirmed on the ground as the lightning roved over and through his body. Abruptly, the lightning stopped as Jaesa approached him. Smoke rose from Fedra, and he continued to moan weakly.

"Tell me what you stole and why, and I'll end your life quickly," Jaesa said, her every word a command. Vette had never seen her eyes glow so brightly. Her own footsteps seemed louder than normal as she stepped cautiously closer. Fedra merely rolled over, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"You're... you're too late. My apprentice... will already have... delivered the holocron to Timmns."

"Holocron?" Vette asked, looking at Jaesa inquisitively.

"It's a repository of Sith knowledge," she said quietly, then raised her voice as she sent shocks at Fedra again. "Why in the galaxy would you turn over a Sith holocron to a _Jedi_?" she shouted over the Twi'lek's screams. Vette couldn't bear to watch his agony, and she turned away, but couldn't shut out his cries as they went on and on. He quieted eventually, as did the sizzling of lightning, and Vette presumed that Jaesa had stopped.

"Answer me!" Jaesa yelled.

"The – agh! – holocron will g-give the Jedi... aaahhhh," Fedra moaned, his chest heaving, "an... an advantage... in the war."

"That still doesn't make any sense," Vette said, turning back to face him. She started at the sight of him: his cloak had burned away in places, and the flesh beneath was charred and grisly. _He's dying. Jaesa's killing him._ A spurt of pity surged in her, but Jaesa quashed it as she looked at Vette in response.

"No, it makes perfect sense. They're traitors, Vette. They want to _join_ the Jedi!" she said, her face a visage of rage, "the Jedi needed proof that they were genuine, so they decided to hand over information on the Sith to help them in the war!" Sparks began to orbit her hands-

"Don't!" Vette held out a hand, and Jaesa looked at her in indignation. "He told you what you wanted to know! He's already dying, don't make it worse."

"He hasn't told me everything," Jaesa responded, but the electricity in her hands faded.

"Wait, no, it still doesn't make sense!" Vette interrupted, "Kode and Timmns fought! They fought here, on Nar Shaddaa!"

"Lies and corruption exist even among the Jedi," Jaesa's lips barely moved, "it was just a lie that we happened to hear about. They needed it to sell the story." Abrupt laughter rose from her, and was stifled just as abruptly. "Ironic that the only people to hear the lie would be the ones to question it."

"So… what happens now?" Vette asked, though she figured she could guess the answer. Jaesa ignited her lightsaber, confirming her thoughts.

"I see… what's in… your mind, girl," Fedra suddenly said, looking directly at Vette, "you don't… belong here… with them. Just… like me."

_What? What does that-_ Vette cringed as Jaesa's lightsaber neatly severed Fedra's head from his body. _Ugh_.

"Let's go. We're done here," Jaesa said with finality. Vette didn't move. Jaesa must have sensed her hesitation, because she didn't move either, but frowned questioningly.

"Vette?"

Thoughts swirled around in Vette's mind. Fedra's words echoed there.

"I think…" Vette looked at the ground, "I think he's right, Jaesa. I think I need to… take a break."

"What?" Jaesa looked incredulous, "What are you talking about?"

"What Fedra said…" she sighed, "look, I stayed cooped up on that ship for weeks while you and Argrein did whatever you were doing on all those planets. It was like the rest of us didn't exist anymore."

Jaesa merely looked confused. "What does that have to do with what Fedra said?"

Frustration rose in Vette, and she sighed again, "I don't have a will of my own, Jaesa! My life belongs to Argrein, even though he says it doesn't, and I spent so long doing nothing because he couldn't find a use for me!" She had said enough, but didn't want to stop; it was like someone had opened the floodgate on all the emotion she'd been keeping pent up.

"I probably could've snuck out and actually lived a little like Pierce, but no, I was a good little girl and stayed in the same tiny set of rooms for _weeks _and _weeks_! Do you know what that's like, Jaesa? No, of course you don't, because you're the one out there actually _doing something_!"

Jaesa looked unsure of what to do, and Vette capitalised on it.

"So I've had enough, Jaesa. At least for now. I need to…" she looked around at the street, "I dunno, I need to go out there and do something because I want to, not because someone tells me to."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and when Jaesa spoke, it was with a tone of warning.

"You know I'll have to tell my Master about this."

"I know," Vette said, and she couldn't help rolling her eyes. _No Sith is going to scare me right now. _"If he wants to talk to me, he can come find me."

Jaesa turned to go back towards the spaceport, and Vette stayed where she was, watching the Sith apprentice round a corner and disappear. Though she felt trepidation and fear of retribution, flutters of relief floated inside her. She had swept her own doubts away with her outburst. Hesitantly, she turned in the opposite direction to the spaceport and started walking.


	4. Chapter 4

Timmns had beaten them there. Argrein, Quinn, Pierce and Broonmark dismounted from their speeders. They had reached a grassy clearing in the middle of a thicket of Belsavis trees, their branches extending widely, blocking out large portions of the almost turquoise sky above them. The clearing housed what looked like an abandoned Republic security outpost – except that whilst it was guarded with sandbags and once-working turrets, the building itself looked about five stories high, and not at all like a simple outpost. The Force twinged as Argrein approached the building. Timmns was nearby, maybe even-

"My lord, perhaps we should do a scan of the building," said Quinn, brandishing a datapad. "For all we know, there may be a Republic force inside that we are unaware of. How do we know that Timmns will not ambush us? The Jedi know of your exploits, and will no doubt-"

"Quinn, shut up or I will repay you for your betrayal right here and now."

Argrein's had meant the words to hit hard, but not that hard. He could almost feel Quinn's embarrassment. The officer had probably thought that his crime was forgotten by now, but Argrein had just humiliated him in front of his comrades.

"Yes, my lord," was all he said. Argrein regretted his ferocity slightly; now was not the time to bring morale down. Nevertheless, he couldn't save face without making himself look worse, so he left it alone.

"Right. The three of you, sweep that building from top to bottom. I doubt Timmns is inside, but I want to be sure that there's nothing in there that can sneak up on us."

They walked past him wordlessly, Pierce on point. He watched as they entered the building, gun barrels sweeping through angles and around corners. The doors closed behind them, and after waiting several seconds, Argrein turned around to face the trees.

"You can come out now."

At first, there was no sign of the Jedi, and Argrein wondered if he'd been mistaken, but then the Mirilian dropped down from one of the trees about twenty metres to his left, landing lightly on his feet.

"Trouble with the crew?" Timmns asked, brushing the stray leaves from his cloak.

"With one. I'll deal with him at some point." Argrein said. He gathered the Force around himself, feeling it straining. It bucked like a leashed animal within him, yearning to be let free and to rain destruction on the man in front of him. Argrein smiled.

"So here we are," he said. Timmns drew his lightsaber but didn't approach any closer.

"You know there's nothing in the building, right?" the Jedi said, jerking his head towards it.

"Of course," Argrein responded, drawing his own sabers, but leaving them deactivated in his hands. "I just wanted them out of the way."

"Do we really have to do this?" Timmns asked, exasperation running through his voice. "Seriously, we were showing the galaxy an example of unity that's never been seen before, and now you want to undo all that?"

"I do. If another Sith finds out I cooperated with you, it will put me under scrutiny I would rather be excluded from."

Timmns laughed abruptly. "And you think I'm going to go around the Sith Empire spreading tales of our adventures?"

Argrein didn't respond, but started walking towards him. The Force surged.

"Come on, you're being shortsighted!" Timmns protested. "Think of what we've accomplished! If the Jedi and the Sith recognise that working together is a possibility, we could end the war once and for all!"

"We're _enemies_, Timmns!" Argrein said loudly. His lightsabers ignited in flares of blood-red. They were only a few steps apart now. "It doesn't matter what we do, the war will continue until one side is destroyed!" On the last word, he leapt towards Timmns, and the Jedi lit his azure blade just in time. Argrein attacked him with a series of rapid slashes, but he blocked and dodged. Argrein could feel the void in the Force that represented Timmns, devoid of emotion, devoid of activity. He had cleared his mind, and it sickened the Sith. He pressed forward, mixing in feints this time to try and throw the Jedi off his game, but Timmns was too quick, and Argrein reacted too late as he felt the Force rush towards him. The push knocked him off his feet, but Timmns didn't attack.

"You're blind, Sith. You refuse to think beyond your own ambitions, beyond your own path!" he said, and Argrein heard the trickle of frustration in his voice.

"My ambitions are that of the Empire: to wipe the Jedi from the galaxy!" Argrein propelled himself at Timmns with the Force, and the battle resumed. Argrein pushed him back, and their sabers marked the ground nearby and gouged at a tree that happened to flank their path. The battle was too fast for Argrein to think about it; the Force simply flowed through him, and he let it guide his actions. Timmns matched him blow for blow until their sabers locked, Argrein trapping Timmns' weapon in an X-shaped pin. The resulting burst of light made it hard to see, and Argrein instinctively squinted. The sizzling of the lock filled the air.

"Don't you get that it doesn't have to be this way?" Timmns said, his voice straining with the effort of maintaining the lock. "The Force isn't black and white, Sith! People turn from light to dark and back again, given the right circumstances! Just because we draw on it differently doesn't mean we have to kill each other over it!"

With a savage thrust, Argrein broke the lock and lashed out with his foot, kicking Timmns several metres. As he approached, Timmns raised a hand, but Argrein deftly blocked the incoming push.

"If we work together, we could-"

"Enough. Nothing you can say will convince me."

Timmns' face seemed to go blank, and he spoke completely without emotion, as if he was merely stating a fact. "Then I guess I'll have to kill you."

Argrein pointed both his blades at Timmns' throat. "You've already lost."

"I don't think so!" Timmns reignited his saber before Argrein could react. He lashed out, and the Sith was forced to somersault into the air to avoid losing his legs. By the time he landed, Timmns was back on his feet.

"In all honesty, I don't want to kill you," he said, "I wish we could put our difference aside."

"Keep wishing. That'll win you the war."

They fought viciously. Their blades and arms were blurs, Timmns weaving and dodging as well as striking to compensate for Argrein's dual-bladed attacks. Backwards and forwards they fought; the ground glowed with slash marks around them. The Force swept around them like a fierce gale that only they could perceive, and both of them used it to slow, to trip, to hurt each other. At some point Argrein noticed that Pierce, Broonmark and Quinn had returned, but they didn't interfere. The fight continued, seemingly without end, but Argrein could tell that Timmns was weakening – he had to strain to keep up with everything Argrein was throwing at him. Argrein had faced many Jedi, and he had to admire Timmns' combat prowess – even though he must by now know that he was going to lose, he kept throwing in unexpected Force pushes or twisting to attack from odd angles. Argrein couldn't break concentration even for a moment or he would be cut down.

But Timmns broke concentration first; he struck just a little too late, and Argrein blocked the blow with such strength that the Jedi's saber was knocked out of his hand. Argrein didn't think about what he would do next; he simply noticed that in the next moment he had pierced Timmns through the gut, and the Jedi crumpled to the ground. The Mirilian looked Argrein in the eyes, his breath coming weakly.

"Think of the bigger picture," Timmns whispered, and Argrein felt the Force recede from him as his eyes closed.

He simply stood there, feeling the remnants of the battle. Adrenaline still coursed through him, and he took deep breaths to slow his hearts down. In his mind, he quelled the current of the Force that had driven him to victory. As these influences died down and his mind cleared, he noticed that the usual rush of victory was completely absent. _Think of the bigger picture._ The words seemed to be etched into his mind; he couldn't dislodge them, but he didn't understand them either.

"M… my lord?" said a quiet voice beside him. He turned to see Quinn, Pierce and Broonmark.

"Yes, Captain?"

"The building was empty."

"Yes. Very good. Let's go, we're done." Argrein began to walk back towards the four speeders they had taken here, and it took him a moment to notice the extent of the carnage his battle with Timmns had wreaked on the area. The ground was ravaged in several places, low-hanging branches had been severed from trees, the sap inside cauterized, and a decapitated acklay corpse lay, legs still twitching, not ten metres from where Timmns had fallen. _Think of the bigger picture_. Argrein mounted his speeder wordlessly and sped off back towards where the _Fury_ was berthed, the words repeating in his mind.


End file.
